


Nothing To Be Done

by feathertail



Series: Infinity War Ashes Angst Party [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Ashes Scene in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 12:13:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14568783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feathertail/pseuds/feathertail
Summary: As requested, based off my earlier fic "A Little Tingling Sensation", Tony's POV.





	Nothing To Be Done

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AutumnSongs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnSongs/gifts), [Gyoro_and_Ururun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyoro_and_Ururun/gifts), [FeralCreed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralCreed/gifts), [MissSparklingWriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSparklingWriter/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Little Tingling Sensation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14562273) by [feathertail](https://archiveofourown.org/users/feathertail/pseuds/feathertail). 



> As requested by the lovely @AutumnSongs

It had started with the alien girl, the dissolving thing. It had passed around, from him, to the muscled guy, to Quill, and then to Strange, and Tony thought they had been spared. Enough time had passed, right, they weren’t going to dissolve either. It was fine. They were going to get back to Earth and kick Thanos ass for what he had done and get everyone back. Peter spoke from behind him, calling his name, and he thought nothing of it. It would probably be a “what do we do now” from the kid, and, frankly, he didn’t know what they did now. He couldn’t see a way off this planet.

_“I don’t- I don’t feel so good.”_

With those simple words, his stomach dropped, and his heart filled with dread. Slowly, he turned, and he knew his trepidation showed on his face, he’d never been good at hiding things.

_“I- I don’t know what’s happening.”_

But Tony knew. He knew with the chill flooding through every inch of his body what was happening. The kid’s healing must have delayed it, but even he could see the cracking of his skin as it tried to crumble- He wasn’t prepared for the kid to stumble into him, but he caught him, supporting him, letting him grab and clutch and cry.

_“I don’t want to go, Mr. Stark,”_

Tony shook his head slightly. Of course he didn’t want to go, no kid wanted to die. The others hadn’t been given time to prepare, but the kid of all people was the one to feel what death felt like, the one person he didn’t want to feel that, he shouldn’t have to, he was still in school, for Christ’s sake. He didn’t deserve any of this, the pain, the suffering, the death.

“You’re okay,” he stammered, pulling him as close as he could, trying to be as reassuring as possible, because what could you possibly say to someone who knew they were dying and was terrified of the prospect? Especially as a child, who had had no opportunity to prepare or fathom what was going on.

_“Please, I don’t want to go,”_

He could see the layers beginning to peel away from the kid’s skin, crumbling and fluttering in the weird gravitational fields, and a lump swelled in his throat as he knelt, Peter’s legs giving way. He settled him gently on the ground, looking down, giving him one last comfort, that he wasn’t alone, that he wouldn’t die alone, that Tony was here and he wasn’t leaving-

_“I’m sorry.”_

It was only a brief second after his last words that Peter’s body finally gave in and stopped fighting the end, and Tony fell forwards slightly as the kid’s body dissolved. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks and he shook his head. He’d promised to keep the kid safe, he had built the suit for him, had enabled him…

Guilt and responsibility tore at him as he collapsed, shaking and crying. He’d been responsible for the death of a _child_ , out here in the middle of space, surrounded by nothingness, no friends or family, just Tony, and that was his fault, it was his suit that had enabled him to stay on the goddamn ship that had brought them here, everything was his goddamn fault. But the thing that had hurt most was Strange’s words, ringing in the back of his mind now. _It was the only way_. And it hurt most to know that, despite everything he could have done, in spite of everything he had done his whole life…

There was nothing he could have done to save Peter Parker.


End file.
